The present invention is directed to a firefighting or other hazardous duty headgear assembly for use with a protective helmet and self contained breathing apparatus.
In firefighting and other hazardous duty industries, workers are often required to enter and work in hostile environments. In many of these hostile environments, the ambient gases are not safe for breathing, and therefore the worker must carry along a source of fresh air, such as a SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus). Firefighters and other workers must also typically wear heavy and bulky protective gear. Accordingly, there is a need for a system that can carry and protect gas canisters that can be easily worn and is relatively unobtrusive.
The present invention is a system that can carry and protect gas canisters, that can be easily worn and is unobtrusive. In one embodiment, the invention includes a neck curtain that is removably attachable to a firefighting helmet. The neck curtain includes a head portion adapted to surround the back and sides of the wearer""s head and neck, a left flap extending forward from the head portion, a right flap extending forward from the head portion, a fastener for fastening the left and right flaps together in front of the wearer""s neck and face, and a front opening above the left and right flaps adapted to expose a portion of a wearer""s face or to expose a portion of a SCBA mask worn on the wearer""s face. The invention also includes a substantially cylindrical enclosure sized for receiving an SCBA gas canister therein and a fastener for coupling the cylindrical enclosure to an inner surface of the head portion of the neck curtain.
The cylindrical enclosure may be constructed from a high heat and flame resistant fabric material (such as an aramid material, a polybenzamidazole material, an aramid blend material, a polybenzamidazole blend material or a combination of aramid and polybenzamidazole materials), the outer surface of which may be coated with or bonded to a heat reflective material (such as an aluminized coating).
The fastener for coupling the cylindrical enclosure to an inner surface of the neck curtain is preferably positioned so that the cylindrical enclosure is substantially or completely covered by the neck curtain when the neck curtain is worn by a wearer along with a firefighting helmet and associated SCBA system. The materials of the cylindrical enclosure preferably reflect heat away from the gas canister contained therein so that the system can be worn in high heat situations, such as during ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting) operations where the temperatures can reach 3500 to 4000xc2x0 F.
The fastener for coupling the cylindrical enclosure to the inner surface of the neck curtain is preferably positioned such that the cylindrical enclosure is maintained inside the neck curtain, thus allowing the neck curtain to provide an additional heat barrier between the ambient heat and the gas canister.
The neck curtain is preferably constructed from multiple layers of fabric material that include an outer layer of heat and flame resistant fabric material, a moisture barrier layer located adjacent the outer layer, and a facecloth layer and/or thermal barrier located adjacent the moisture barrier. Preferably, the outer layer of heat and flame resistant material is also coated with a heat reflective material, such as an aluminized coating.
The cylindrical enclosure may have an axial length that is approximately equal to the combined length of the gas canister and the SCBA hose extending between the gas canister and the mask. In this case the cylindrical enclosure can provide a heat barrier between the ambient environment and temperature and the hose extending between the gas canister and the mask.
In another aspect of the present invention a protective enclosure is provided to protect a gas canister from high ambient heat. Such an invention may include a substantially cylindrical enclosure constructed from heat and flame resistant fabric material and sized to closely receive a gas canister therein. The cylindrical enclosure may include an outermost layer or coating of a heat reflective material, such as an aluminized material. The heat and flame resistant material may be an aramid material, a polybenzamidazole material, an aramid blend, a polybenzamidazole blend material or a combination of an aramid and/or polybenzamidazole material.
The cylindrical enclosure may have an axial length approximating the combined length of the gas canister and the hose extending between the gas canister and the mask, and the cylindrical enclosure may also include an opening at a longitudinal end thereof for receiving the gas canister therein.
The cylindrical enclosure may also include a generally axially extending slit running from the longitudinal end thereof to an axial point along the cylindrical enclosure proximate to where the interface between the gas canister and the hose will be positioned when the gas canister is received within the cylindrical enclosure. The slit forms a pair of flap-like sections in the cylindrical enclosure. The cylinder enclosure may include a fastener for releasably coupling the pair of flap-like sections together around the hose when the gas canister is received within the cylindrical enclosure.
The fastener for coupling the pair of flap-like sections together may include a first fastener component extending from an inner surface of a first one of the flap-like sections proximate the slit, and a second fastener component, adapted to mate with the first fastener component, and extending from an outer surface of the other one of the flap-like sections, distal from the slit. In this manner, the fastener can releasably couple the pair of flap-like sections together around the hose to constrict the cylindrical enclosure about the hose and thereby securely retain the hose therein.
The cylindrical enclosure may include at least one hole extending through the longitudinal end of the cylinder enclosure opposite to that end of the cylindrical enclosure having the opening for receiving the gas canister therein. The holes at the bottom of the cylindrical enclosure allow air intake which may be necessary for proper operation of the SCBA system.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.